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Fat Friday 17th Feb 2012: Newton Faulkner, Hugh Laurie, Michael Kiwanuka, Azealia Banks, Slam Dunk Festival 2012, The Cribs and more

Posted: 12 years ago

This week's on-sales have a 'deja-vu' feeling about them, but includes some names that we haven't seen on these shores for a while. Apart from Madonna's Dublin date, there are shows from Norah Jones, NOFX and Saint Etienne, plus follow-up albums and tour-dates for Marina and the Diamonds, The Cribs and Miike Snow. The dark-horse to watch though? Hugh Laurie with his humbling languid blues-lite - watch him sell fast!

After a handful of sold-out gigs last year, he's returning to the UK music scene with three summer dates announced so far. The first is in Glasgow on 29th June, followed by Salford and then finally Hammersmith Apollo on 2nd July, priced from £35 for all three venues and all likely to sell in minutes, we kid you not.

Michael Kiwanuka Michael Kiwanuka
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2012 looks like being a big year for the 24-year-old - his new tour kicks off in Bournemouth on 13th May, followed by dates in Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin and more, before the final gig of the tour at the Shepherds Bush Empire on 23rd May, priced £14 for London, €16 for Dublin and £12.50 for the remaining UK shows.

First stop is Manchester on 28th September (she will also be appearing in the city a few months earlier, at Parklife Weekender in Platt Fields on 10th June), Newcastle, Liverpool and several more until Shepherd's Bush on 12th October. We will have tickets are on sale from 9am on Friday, priced £12.50 (£15 for London).

This year's punk-pop and rock knees-up in May will feature the headliners Taking Back Sunday, as well as big names Architects, The King Blues, Every Time I Die, Cancer Bats, Mayday Parade and Forever The Sickest Kids in the mix. Tickets for both the Leeds and Hatfield dates are on sale from Friday morning at 9am, priced at £32.50.

Widely and rightly credited as an important influence in early nineties pop punk, NOFX return with their first UK tour since 2009. The initial six shows in June take in Leicester, Bristol, Bournemouth, Manchester, Newcastle and Shepherd's Bush with tickets set to cost £18.50 (£20 for London).

Newton Faulkner Newton Faulkner
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Faulkner's last UK tour in 2010, sold out every night and ticket sales for the spring dates are expected to be brisk. This time around, tour dates include Bournemouth on 26th April, followed by Southend, London (Scala), Birmingham, Bristol, Norwich and lots more before the final UK date in Belfast on 26th May. There is an Ireland date at Whelans in Dublin on 27th May. £16 for the UK shows and €22.50 for Dublin.

Two years have passed since Norah's last sold-out visit to these shores, and with a new album ("Little Broken Hearts" with Dangermouse) set for a 2012 release, any further shows she announces will still sell out. Jones plays the Royal Festival Hall on 1st June with tickets costing £22.50.

Two decades on, Sarah Cracknell's voice is as beguiling as ever and into 2012, the trio will be touring the UK once more, adding new accents to old classics and offering up new material to boot. First stop is Sheffield on 22nd May, followed by dates in Liverpool, Leamington Spa and London on 28th May. £16.50.

A six-date UK tour has been confirmed for late spring, with new album, 'In the Belly of the Brazen Bull', in tow. The May tour kicks off in Nottingham on 7th, followed by stops in London (Troxy), Bristol, Glasgow and Manchester, before the final date in Eastbourne on 13th May - tickets cost £20 for London and £18 for all other venues.

MARINA and the Diamonds
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A second album, 'Electra Heart', is released in late April and the first single from the record, last year's 'Radioactive', suggests Marina may be here for the duration. The tour kicks off in Manchester on 4th May, followed by Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham and more, before Cardiff on 15th May. Prices start at £17.

The dubstep 'n' bass duo Chase and Status have been announced as homecoming headliners on Saturday night - an honour when you consider the huge names that have spear-headed the SW4 bash in the past. Tickets cost £45 for the Saturday, £85 for the weekend. More names to be announced in due course.

His distinctive, faultless vocal has brought great colour to legendary hits including 'Oh! Carol', 'Breaking Up is Hard To Do' and 'Laughter in the Rain'. His UK tour kicks off in Gateshead on 6th October, followed by dates in Manchester, London (Royal Albert Hall), Cardiff and Liverpool on 24th October, with prices starting at around £40.

Other beauties to get clicking for include rare UK shows for Miike Snow (supported by Niki and the Dove), tours for Lonsdale Boys Club, Sylosis and Feeder plus shows for Madonna (in Dublin), Howler, The Pierces and David Guetta. Check below for even more!

Happy clicking!

Paul Pledger